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No matter the war, no matter the nationality, common threads run through the experiences of men at war. Soldiers highlights these shared experiences across 150 years of warfare, from the Napoleonic Wars through World War II. Haymond explores these threads, drawing heavily from firsthand accounts to craft a narrative with flesh-and-blood immediacy. |
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This vivid and impeccably researched book details the life and Civil War battles of Admiral David Farragut. It shines a spotlight and shares new details about the admiral's leadership of the mission to recapture the port of New Orleans from the Confederacy - a campaign historians consider one of the most daring in military history. Farragut is perhaps best known for his order to ìDamn the torpedoes.... Full speed ahead." during the Battle of Mobile Bay, which has become a touchstone and rallying cry for the United States Navy. A sweeping and riveting telling of Farragut's career and campaigns, Lincoln's Admiral offers fascinating insights into the strategy and decisions of one of the greatest military leaders on the Civil War - and of all time. |
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#1  NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLER • The author of  The Devil in the White City  and  Dead Wake  delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz—an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis One of  Chicago Tribune ’s Best Books of the Year So Far • “A bravura performance by one of America’s greatest storytellers.”—NPR “Churchill’s lessons of resilience and his style of steady-handed leadership are essential to the state of mind of American readers.”— Vanity Fair On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally—and willing to fight to the end. In The Splendid and the Vile , Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London. Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports—some released only recently—Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents’ wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela’s illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill’s “Secret Circle,” to whom he turns in the hardest moments.   The Splendid and the Vile  takes readers out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Churchill’s eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together. |
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One of the British Army’s first paratroopers recounts in vivid detail his service in the 2nd Parachute Battalion during the Battle of Arnhem and beyond . . .   No one who has read of Arnhem can fail to be inspired by gallantry of the 2nd Parachute Regiment, which held the north end of the key road bridge over the Rhine—the “Bridge Too Far”—not for twenty-four hours for which it was equipped, but for three days and four nights. Commanded by the then Lieutenant-Colonel Frost, they beat off repeated armored and infantry assaults by far greater numbers, until forced out of the ruined and burning positions by losses, lack of ammunition, and the failure of the whole Arnhem operation. Their sacrifice stands as one of the most heroic defenses of all time.   General Frost’s story is, in effect, that of the battalion. His tale starts with the Iraq Levies and goes on the major airborne operations in which he took part—Bruneval, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, Arnhem—and continues with his experiences as a prisoner and the reconstruction of the battalion after the German surrender.   Though written with modesty and humor, the book is shot through with the fire and determination of the fighting solider, and throws important new light on many controversies, not only those of Arnhem. |
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With a New Foreword The heartwrenching New York Times bestseller about the only known person born inside a North Korean prison camp to have escaped.  North Korea’s political prison camps have existed twice as long as Stalin’s Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. No one born and raised in these camps is known to have escaped. No one, that is, except Shin Dong-hyuk. In Escape From Camp 14 , Blaine Harden unlocks the secrets of the world’s most repressive totalitarian state through the story of Shin’s shocking imprisonment and his astounding getaway. Shin knew nothing of civilized existence—he saw his mother as a competitor for food, guards raised him to be a snitch, and he witnessed the execution of his mother and brother. The late “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il was recognized throughout the world, but his country remains sealed as his third son and chosen heir, Kim Jong Eun, consolidates power. Few foreigners are allowed in, and few North Koreans are able to leave. North Korea is hungry, bankrupt, and armed with nuclear weapons. It is also a human rights catastrophe. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people work as slaves in its political prison camps. These camps are clearly visible in satellite photographs, yet North Korea’s government denies they exist. Harden’s harrowing narrative exposes this hidden dystopia, focusing on an extraordinary young man who came of age inside the highest security prison in the highest security state. Escape from Camp 14 offers an unequalled inside account of one of the world’s darkest nations. It is a tale of endurance and courage, survival and hope. |
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The Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Latin and Greek texts. This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works of Julius Caesar, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (6MB Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Caesar's life and works * Features the complete works of Caesar, in both English translation and the original Latin * Concise introductions to the commentaries and other works * Provides a special dual English and Latin section, allowing readers to compare Caesar’s complete works paragraph by paragraph – ideal for study * Special campaign maps to complement the text, originally appearing in the Loeb Classical Library editions * Includes McDevitte’s celebrated translations * Images of famous paintings and sculptures inspired by Caesar’s life * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the sections or books you want to read with individual contents tables * Includes Caesar's rare spurious works * Features two bonus biographies - discover Caesar's ancient world * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres CONTENTS: The Translations THE GALLIC WARS THE CIVIL WAR ON THE ALEXANDRINE WAR ON THE AFRICAN WAR ON THE HISPANIC WAR Dual Latin and English Texts LIST OF DUAL TEXTS The Latin Texts LIST OF LATIN TEXTS The Biographies THE LIFE OF JULIUS CAESAR by Suetonius THE HISTORY OF JULIUS CAESAR by Jacob Abbott |
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*Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award* *A New York Times Notable Book* *Winner of the Texas Book Award and the Oklahoma Book Award* This New York Times bestseller and stunning historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West “is nothing short of a revelation…will leave dust and blood on your jeans” ( The New York Times Book Review ). Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands. The war with the Comanches lasted four decades, in effect holding up the development of the new American nation. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads, and the amazing story of Cynthia Ann Parker and her son Quanah—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being. Hailed by critics, S. C. Gwynne’s account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told. Empire of the Summer Moon announces him as a major new writer of American history. |
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Wallis Simpson was the woman who stole the king’s heart and rocked the monarchy - but she was not Edward VIII’s first or only love.This book is about the women he adored before Wallis dominated his life. There was Rosemary Leveson Gower, the girl he wanted to marry and who would have made the perfect match for a future king; the Prince’s long-term mistress, Freda Dudley Ward, who exerted a pull almost equal to Wallis over her lover, but abided by the rules of the game and knew she would never marry him. Then there was Thelma Furness, his twice-married American lover, who enjoyed a domestic life with him, but realised it could not last forever and demanded nothing more than to be his mistress.In each love affair, Edward behaved like a cross between a little boy lost and a spoilt child. Each one of the three women in this book could have changed the course of history. In examining their lives and impact on the heir to the throne, we question whether he ever really wanted to be king. |
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This book examines how biological knowledge has transformed the planet and reshaped humanity. Using the concept of biological knowledge, the author explores key persons, places, ideas and events that have shaped the world. He shows that while the development of biological knowledge has opened vast new vistas in our understanding of the living world and promises material abundance for some; refracted through the distorting lens of ideology, it has also contributed to great inequality and oppression. The book delves into key issues that arise from adopting a biological approach to understanding human nature, such as the assessment of human difference, the relationship of knowledge to power, the nature and role of science and religion and the value and nature of human life. Combining an engaging narrative style with scholarly rigour, this book makes an important and timely contribution to present-day issues and contemporary debates emanating from the life sciences. |
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Paru à l'origine en 1982, le livre de Louis Fournier reste l'ouvrage de référence sur l'histoire des vagues successives du Front de libération du Québec, de ses débuts à sa dissolution effective après la crise d'Octobre. Cette édition définitive, entièrement mise à jour et augmentée d'une nouvelle introduction et d'une nouvelle conclusion de l'auteur, paraît chez VLB à l'occasion du cinquantenaire des évènements d'Octobre. Louis Fournier fait la chronique exhaustive des quelque dix années d'activité du FLQ, du début des années 1960 au paroxysme tragique de la crise d'Octobre, à la loi sur les mesures de guerre, et à leurs suites. Il met son action dans le contexte des autres luttes de libération nationale de l'époque. Il examine avec minutie les opérations d'infiltration de la police et de la GRC, dont les abus ont mené à l'enquête de la Commission Keable et à son rapport accablant. Grâce un travail de recherche qui s'est étendu sur des années et à la contribution de nombreux témoins et acteurs, le livre de Louis Fournier parvient à éclairer ces événements cruciaux dans l'histoire du Québec comme aucun autre ouvrage ne l'avait fait auparavant, ni ne l'a fait depuis. |
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"The War with Mexico" in 2 volumes is one of the best-known works by an American historian Justin Harvey Smith. The Mexican-American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico still considered Mexican territory since the government did not recognize the treaty signed by Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna when he was a prisoner of the Texian Army during the 1836 Texas Revolution. For Mexico, this was a provocation: Mexican forces attacked U.S. forces, and the United States Congress declared war. Volume 1: Mexico and the Mexicans The Political Education of Mexico The Relations between the United States and Mexico, 1825–1843 The Relations between the United States and Mexico, 1843–1846 The Mexican Attitude on the Eve of War The American Attitude on the Eve of War The Preliminaries of the Conflict Palo Alto and Resaca de Guerrero The United States Meets the Crisis The Chosen Leaders Advance Taylor Sets out for Saltillo Monterey Saltillo, Parras, and Tampico Santa Fe Chihuahua The California Question The Conquest of California The Genesis of Two Campaigns Santa Anna Prepares to Strike Buena Vista Volume 2: Behind the Scenes at Mexico Vera Cruz Cerro Gordo Puebla On to the Capital Contreras and Churubusco Negotiations Molino del Rey, Chapultepec and Mexico Final Military Operations The Naval Operations The Americans as Conquerors Peace The Finances of the War The War in American Politics The Foreign Relations of the War |
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De naam Adolf Hitler roept – zelfs bijna driekwart eeuw na de val van het Derde Rijk – nog veel afgrijzen, verachting en verwondering op. Hoe kon een mislukte schilder een heel volk inpalmen? Hoe kon hij van een onbeduidend partijtje met 55 leden een miljoenenbeweging maken? Deze uitgave geeft het antwoord. Hier lees je het verhaal over de zoon van een douanebeambte uit Braunau die de nazibeweging vormgaf en de Duitsers hersenspoelde om zijn grote droom te verwezenlijken. Met bangmakerij en geweld. Met een ijskoud cynisme. En niet in de laatste plaats met een buitengewoon redenaarstalent. Maar bij de geschiedenis van nazi-Duitsland komt veel meer kijken dan de waanzin van één man. Het is de geschiedenis van een heel volk dat zich in de luren liet leggen en zijn ogen sloot voor moord en vervolging, en uiteindelijk bereid was zijn Führer te volgen in een oorlog die dood en verderf zaaide op een ongekende schaal. |
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During the Pacific War the most successful component of the Imperial Japanese Fleet was its destroyer force. These ships were larger and, in most cases, better-equipped than their Allied counterparts. Armed with a powerful, long-ranged torpedo, these ships proved formidable opponents. Initially, they were instrumental in an unbroken string of Japanese victories, but it was not until the Guadalcanal campaign that these ships fully demonstrated their power. In a series of daring night actions, they devastated Allied task forces with their deadly torpedoes. This volume details the history, weapons and tactics of the Japanese destroyers built just before and throughout the war, including the famous Kagero and Yugumo classes, the experimental destroyer Shimakaze that boasted a top speed of almost 40 knots and 15 torpedo tubes, and the Matsu class that represented the Japanese equivalent to an Allied destroyer escort. These ships were designed to be built quickly and cheaply, but proved to be very tough in combat. |
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This volume will detail the history, weapons and tactics of the Japanese destroyers built before the war. This includes the famous Fubuki class (called "Special Type" by the Japanese, which were, when completed in the late 1920's, the most powerful class of destroyers in the world. This design forced all other major navies to follow suite and provided the basic design for the next many classes of Imperial Navy destroyers. This book will also cover the three classes built before the Special Type which were based on a German World War I design as well as two classes built after the advent of the Special Type. All of these ships had a rich history as they fought from the first battles of the Pacific War up until the very end when several accompanied the superbattleship Yamato on her death sortie. The final part of the book will be an analysis of the destroyer designs covered in the book which will include an examination of their strengths and weaknesses. The success (or lack of success) of these designs will be discussed and they will be compared to comparable Allied destroyer designs. |
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Everyone is familiar with the iconic WWII Jeep, its green paintwork annotated with white letters, numbers and symbols. Unintelligible to the casual observer, these markings were integral to the organization of the U.S. Army on the move in 1944. This uniquely detailed guide covers all the markings used on American tanks and tracked vehicles, lorries and jeeps to denote their unit and classification, plus tactical markings and the debarkation codes used in the Normandy landings. Hundreds of contemporary photographs are paired with precise color diagrams to show exactly how markings appeared on vehicles, including the exact measurements of markings, and explaining all the different variations in use. A final chapter covers the variations of camouflage used on vehicles. The perfect reference book for modelers, collectors, and restorers of historic vehicles, and a fascinating guide to anyone wanting to use WWII photographs to aid their research. |
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La medicina viene oggi considerata - a ragione - una disciplina scientifica, asettica; eppure essa è il risultato di un percorso plurimillenario, spesso controverso e contrastato, che ha il suo fulcro nella figura del medico. Il metodo di ragionamento utilizzato oggi per ricostruire la sequenza di eventi patologici affonda le sue origini nella Grecia di venticinque secoli fa, e le diagnosi vengono formulate tenendo in considerazione le precedenti teorie. La storia della medicina, infatti, procede tramite gli sforzi crescenti compiuti da generazioni di studiosi alla ricerca di terapie sempre più perfezionate, di strumenti più sicuri e di teorie più efficaci. Una storia in cui ogni passo avanti è stato fatto grazie all'ostinazione e al coraggio di pochi uomini che hanno osato sfidare ostilità e pregiudizi. Da Ippocrate a Galeno, dall'anestesia ai trapianti, questo libro racconta la vicenda dei singoli individui che, con i loro errori e le loro intuizioni, hanno saputo restituire la speranza a milioni di uomini. |
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Stephane Kirkland gives an engrossing account of Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and one of the greatest transformations of a major city in modern history Traditionally known as a dirty, congested, and dangerous city, 19th Century Paris, France was transformed in an extraordinary period from 1848 to 1870, when the government launched a huge campaign to build streets, squares, parks, churches, and public buildings. The Louvre Palace was expanded, Notre-Dame Cathedral was restored and the French masterpiece of the Second Empire, the Opéra Garnier , was built. A very large part of what we see when we visit Paris today originates from this short span of twenty-two years. The vision for the new Nineteenth Century Paris belonged to Napoleon III, who had led a long and difficult climb to absolute power. But his plans faltered until he brought in a civil servant, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, to take charge of the implementation. Heedless of controversy, at tremendous cost, Haussmann pressed ahead with the giant undertaking until, in 1870, his political enemies brought him down, just months before the collapse of the whole regime brought about the end of an era. Paris Reborn is a must-read for anyone who ever wondered how Paris, the city universally admired as a standard of urban beauty, became what it is. |
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The true story of one of the most heroic feats of World War II...the daring prison camp breakout that inspired the classic film The Great Escape Stalag Luft III was one of the Germans' "escape-proof" prison camps, specially built by Hermann Göring to hold Allied troops. But on March 24, 1944, in a courageous attempt by two hundred prisoners to break out through a series of tunnels, seventy-six Allied officers managed to evade capture -- and create havoc behind enemy lines in the months before the Normandy Invasion. This is the incredible story of these brave men who broke free from the supposedly impenetrable barbed wire and watchtowers of Stalag Luft III -- and who played an important role in Allied intelligence operations within occupied Europe. The prisoners developed an intricate espionage network, relaying details of military deployment, bombings, and raids. Some of them were involved in other daring escape attempts, including the famous Wooden Horse episode, also turned into a classic film, and the little-known Sachsenhausen breakout, engineered by five Great Escapers sent to die in the notorious concentration camp on Hitler's personal orders. Tragically, fifty of those involved in the Great Escape were murdered by the Gestapo. Others were recaptured; only a few made it all the way to freedom. This dramatic account of personal heroism is a testament to their ingenuity and achievement -- a stirring tribute to the men who never gave up fighting. Includes eight pages of photographs and illustrations, excerpts from Göring's testimony during postwar investigations, and a list of the men who escaped. |
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In 1815, the British controlled the seas. Before the end of the nineteenth century, they ruled Australia, India, New Zealand, half of Africa, half of North America, and islands all around the globe. Theirs was the most powerful empire the world has ever known. Here is the story of how the English acquired their vast domain; how they ruled, maintained, and exploited it; and how, within decades, they presided over its dissolution. Here are Britain's triumphs and also her stinging defeats, her heroes and her scoundrels. It is a full and fascinating chronicle of the growth of the British Empire and its people and of the impact that empire had on the rest of the world. |
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Upon it's first publication twenty years ago, And The Band Played on was quickly recognized as a masterpiece of investigative reporting. An international bestseller, a nominee for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and made into a critically acclaimed movie, Shilts' expose revealed why AIDS was allowed to spread unchecked during the early 80's while the most trusted institutions ignored or denied the threat. One of the few true modern classics, it changed and framed how AIDS was discussed in the following years. Now republished in a special 20th Anniversary edition, And the Band Played On remains one of the essential books of our time. |
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“A raw and authentic war story about untamed Green Berets in action.”—Dalton Fury,  New York Times  bestselling author of  Kill Bin Laden   Southern Afghanistan was slipping away. That was clear to then-Captain Rusty Bradley as he began his third tour of duty there in 2006. The Taliban and their allies were infiltrating everywhere, poised to reclaim Kandahar Province, their strategically vital onetime capital. To stop them, the NATO coalition launched Operation Medusa, the largest offensive in its history. Dispatched as a diversionary force in support of the main coalition attack, Bradley’s Special Forces A-team watched as the NATO force was quickly engulfed in a vicious counterattack. Key to relieving it was possession of Sperwan Ghar, a modest patch of high ground. Bradley’s small detachment assaulted the hill and, in the midst of a savage and unforgettable firefight, soon learned they were facing nearly a thousand seasoned fighters. Now Bradley recounts the whole remarkable story as it actually happened and brings to life the men who impossibly won the day—Americans and Afghans alike—each unique, all indelible in their everyday exercise of extraordinary heroism. Praise for Lions of Kandahar   “A powerful and gripping account of a battle that helped shape the war in Afghanistan . . . With crisp writing and page-turning action, Lions of Kandahar is one of the best books written about the conflict.” —Mitch Weiss, Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist and co-author of Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War   “One of the most important documents to emerge from the war in Afghanistan.” — The Seattle Times   “Powerful . . . a riveting account of a strategic battle that doesn’t glorify war or focus on heroic deeds . . . Make room on your military bookshelf for Lions of Kandahar .” — San Antonio Express-News   “Bradley takes the reader into battle.” —Time |
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Top cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter tells the story behind the virus that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear efforts and shows how its existence has ushered in a new age of warfare—one in which a digital attack can have the same destructive capability as a megaton bomb.   In January 2010, inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency noticed that centrifuges at an Iranian uranium enrichment plant were failing at an unprecedented rate. The cause was a complete mystery—apparently as much to the technicians replacing the centrifuges as to the inspectors observing them.   Then, five months later, a seemingly unrelated event occurred: A computer security firm in Belarus was called in to troubleshoot some computers in Iran that were crashing and rebooting repeatedly.    At first, the firm’s programmers believed the malicious code on the machines was a simple, routine piece of malware. But as they and other experts around the world investigated, they discovered a mysterious virus of unparalleled complexity.   They had, they soon learned, stumbled upon the world’s first digital weapon. For Stuxnet, as it came to be known, was unlike any other virus or worm built before: Rather than simply hijacking targeted computers or stealing information from them, it escaped the digital realm to wreak actual, physical destruction on a nuclear facility.    In these pages, Wired journalist Kim Zetter draws on her extensive sources and expertise to tell the story behind Stuxnet’s planning, execution, and discovery, covering its genesis in the corridors of Bush’s White House and its unleashing on systems in Iran—and telling the spectacular, unlikely tale of the security geeks who managed to unravel a sabotage campaign years in the making.   But Countdown to Zero Day ranges far beyond Stuxnet itself. Here, Zetter shows us how digital warfare developed in the US. She takes us inside today’s flourishing zero-day “grey markets,” in which intelligence agencies and militaries pay huge sums for the malicious code they need to carry out infiltrations and attacks. She reveals just how vulnerable many of our own critical systems are to Stuxnet-like strikes, from nation-state adversaries and anonymous hackers alike—and shows us just what might happen should our infrastructure be targeted by such an attack.   Propelled by Zetter’s unique knowledge and access, and filled with eye-opening explanations of the technologies involved, Countdown to Zero Day is a comprehensive and prescient portrait of a world at the edge of a new kind of war. |
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This is a completely new and updated edition of J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad's widely acclaimed, landmark bestseller The Penguin History of the World . For generations of readers The Penguin History of the World has been one of the great cultural experiences - the entire story of human endeavour laid out in all its grandeur and folly, drama and pain in a single authoritative book. Now, for the first time, it has been completely overhauled for its 6th edition - not just bringing it up to date, but revising it throughout in the light of new research and discoveries, such as the revolution in our understanding of many civilizations in the Ancient World. The closing sections of the book reflect what now seems to be the inexorable rise of Asia and the increasingly troubled situation in the West. About the authors: J.M. Roberts , CBE, published The Penguin History of the World in 1976 to immediate acclaim. His other major books include The Paris Commune from the Right , The Triumph of the West (which was also a successful television series), The Penguin History of Europe and The Penguin History of the Twentieth Century . He died in 2003. Odd Arne Westad , FBA, is Professor of International History at the London School of Economics. He has published fifteen books on modern and contemporary international history, among them The Global Cold War , which won the Bancroft Prize, and Decisive Encounters , a standard history of the Chinese civil war. He also served as general co-editor of the Cambridge History of the Cold War . Reviews 'A work of outstanding breadth of scholarship and penetrating judgements. There is nothing better of its kind' Jonathan Sumption, Sunday Telegraph 'A stupendous achievement' A.J.P. Taylor 'A brilliant book ... the most outstanding history of the world yet written' J.H. Plumb |
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The groundbreaking bestselling expose of the shadowy mercenary army that perpetrated horrific war crimes in America's name. On September 16, 2007, machine gun fire erupted in Baghdad's Nisour Square, leaving seventeen Iraqi civilians dead, among them women and children. The shooting spree, labeled "Baghdad's Bloody Sunday," was neither the work of Iraqi insurgents nor U.S. soldiers. The shooters were private forces, subcontractors working for the secretive mercenary company, Blackwater Worldwide, led by Erik Prince Award-winning journalist Jeremy Scahill takes us from the bloodied streets of Iraq to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans to the chambers of power in Washington, to reveal the frightening new face of the U.S. military machine, and what happens when you outsource war. "A crackling expose" -- New York Times Book Review "[Scahill] is a one-man truth squad" -- Bill Moyers "[An] utterly gripping and explosive story" -- Naomi Klein, The Guardian |
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In the year 9 A.D. three Roman legions under Quintilius Varus are betrayed by the Germanic war chief, Arminius, and destroyed in the forest known as Teutoburger Wald. Six years later, Rome is ready to unleash her vengeance. Emperor Tiberius sends his adopted son, Germanicus Caesar, across the Rhine with an army of forty-thousand imperial soldiers. They come not on a mission of conquest, but of annihilation. Within the ranks is a young legionary named Artorius, for whom the war offers a chance to avenge his slain brother. Deep within the forests of Germania, Arminius and his allies prepare to face the legions. Defeating the Romans will require all of his cunning, tactical savvy, and plenty of well-placed brute force. The Roman Empire holds its breath as Germanicus and Arminius face each other in the most savage conflict the world has seen in a generation; a conflict that will end in a holocaust of fire and blood. |